Master's thesis (LL.M.)
Postgraduate course
- ECTS credits
- 30
- Teaching semesters Autumn, Summer
- Course code
- LLM399
- Number of semesters
- 1
- Teaching language
- English
- Resources
- Schedule
Course description
Objectives and Content
The master's thesis is a substantial piece of written work, written independently under supervision of an academic. The student is responsible for the progression of the work.
During the first year of the Master of Laws programme, there will be meetings which will support the students in their process of deciding on a subject area and a topic for their thesis. When signing up for the master's thesis, students must state the subject area, their research question and project outline for their master's thesis. The choice of subject is binding once the Faculty of Law has entered into an agreement with the supervisor. The research question can nevertheless be refined and adapted afterwards, provided that changes are made in consultation with the supervisor, and do not require a change of supervisor.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge
The student shall acquire
- advanced knowledge within the field which the master's thesis deals with.
- advanced knowledge of the special methodological challenges in the subject area
- knowledge of any ethical issues raised within the field.
- advanced knowledge of basic scientific ideals, including requirements for references and respect for the work of others.
Skills
The student shall be able to
- identify issues suitable for analysis in a master's thesis in law
- formulate issues, arguments, and conclusions in a precise manner
- analyse issues independently and in accordance with scientific ideals
- navigate sources, find relevant sources, and distinguish sources with academic weight from others
- distinguish between legal dogmatic analyses and other analyses in legal work (legal policy, legal history, legal theory, etc.)
- assess current law and discuss the need for changes
- write an independent presentation with a clear structure
- give an oral presentation of the main issues and findings in the thesis, and participate in a professional discussion about these and related issues.
Competences
Upon completion of the master's thesis, the student must be able to
- plan and carry out a major legal scientific work within a given deadline
- communicate extensive independent work in a clear and precise manner
- receive feedback on their own work and make use of such feedback
- apply knowledge and skills to new areas of law and contribute to solving new problems.
ECTS Credits
Level of Study
Semester of Instruction
Place of Instruction
Required Previous Knowledge
Recommended Previous Knowledge
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
Access to the Course
Teaching and learning methods
Before and during the writing semester, there will be meetings to prepare the student for the writing process and support the student during the writing process. This is in addition to individual supervision.
Each student is entitled to receive 12 hours of individual supervision. These hours include the time the supervisor spends on reading drafts, commenting on drafts and dialogue with the student. It is the student's own responsibility to contact their supervisor at the start of term.
As a rule, the course supervisor will assign a supervisor to each student. In case of an external supervisor, the supervisor must be assessed and approved by the Faculty of Law in accordance with existing procedures.
The thesis must be written under supervision. The student is therefore under an obligation to receive supervision. It is the student's own responsibility to seek and make use of guidance and supervision, and to ensure progress in the work.
See also under “Compulsory Assignments and Attendance” just below.
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance
Submission of project outline and project description
When registering for a master's thesis, students must state their subject area, research question and submit a short project outline (max 200 words) for the master's thesis, according to a given template.
Within a given deadline, at the start of the semester in the writing semester, a more detailed project description and a list of sources, must be submitted by a further specified deadline. The project description shall be approximately 1,500 words.
The project description must be approved by the thesis supervisor. A rejected project description must be adapted and re-submitted by a new deadline and approved by the thesis supervisor.
Writing under supervision
Assessment of the master's thesis presupposes that the thesis is written under supervision. Receiving supervision is therefore a mandatory work requirement. The requirement is not fulfilled if the student has not contacted the supervisor or has been unavailable to the supervisor, has failed to submit text to the supervisor, or on other grounds is considered not to have received supervision. The fact that the student has chosen not to follow the supervisor's professional advice does not mean that supervision has not been received.
The supervision shall be limited to one semester, unless otherwise specifically agreed, or there are special reasons why the work on the master's thesis has taken longer. Exceptions can be made where early submission of the thesis has been notified (on early submission, see directly below).
Deadlines for registration, submission and more:
Students following the LLM programme will usually write and submit their Master’s thesis in the 3rd semester of the programme.
Early submission will also be possible at the beginning of August each year (i.e. between 2nd and 3rd semesters on the programme). Students wishing to submit their theses early must notify the course supervisors in advance and within a set deadline. The deadline for notifying early submission will usually be towards the end of the 1st semester (mid December). The deadlines for registration, confirmation, submission etc. will vary according to whether the student has chosen early submission of the Master’s thesis or has decided to write and submit during the 3rd semester of the programme.
Writing the master’s thesis in the 3rd semester of the Master’s programme:
15 May - registration and submission of project outline
Mid August - deadline for submitting project description
Early September - submission of a new project description (if the 1st version was rejected)
10 December - submission
Early submission of Master’s thesis
Mid December - notification of early submission to the course supervisors
Mid January - deadline for submitting project description
Early February - submission of a new project description (if the 1st version was rejected)
1 August - submission
After registering for writing the Master’s thesis, the faculty will enrol the student by creating an assessment registration; the student cannot register for assessment themselves in Studentweb. The student must still register for the semester as usual (deadline September 1 for the autumn semester and February 1 for the spring semester).
See also the Instructions for Supervision in LLM399 Master's Thesis.
Forms of Assessment
The grade for the Master’s thesis is determined based on the submitted master's thesis and an adjusting oral exam.
The master's thesis and performance during the oral exam are assessed by two examiners. The master's thesis is given a preliminary grade, which the student is informed about.
If the master's thesis is assessed as a fail (F), a decision will be made in accordance with this.
If the master's thesis is given a preliminary passing grade (A-E), an adjusting oral exam will be conducted in a digital meeting. The adjusting oral exam may result in an adjustment of the preliminary grade to the student's advantage or disadvantage, but not by more than one grade on the grading scale.
If a student who has been given a preliminary passing grade (A-E) fails to attend the adjusting oral exam, no decision will be made. The student will then be given the opportunity to take a deferred oral exam. If the student did not have a valid reason for absence at the regular adjusting oral exam, the absence will result in a deduction in the final grade assessment.
Students who have received a final grade in the course cannot register for a new assessment. The same applies to students who have received a preliminary grade of A-E on the master's thesis and have not completed the oral exam.
Students who have received a grade of F can submit the master's thesis for reassessment if the thesis is a substantially revised version of the previously submitted thesis or addresses a different issue. In such cases, the faculty provides up to ten hours of additional supervision. The course coordinator decides whether a new supervisor should be appointed.
Students can appeal the assessment of the written thesis and formal errors in this assessment and the conduct of the oral exam, in accordance with the general appeal rules.
See also the Instructions for Assessing the Written Assignment in LLM399 Master's Thesis, the Instructions for Conducting and Assessing the Adjusting Oral Exam in LLM399 Master's Thesis, and the Requirements for Written Work in the Master's Program in Law at UiB.
Word limit
The indicative word limit is 15,000 words. A thesis of more than 18,000 words will not be assessed. Footnotes and endnotes are included in the word limit. Foreword/preface, front page, table of contents, registers, bibliography, and appendices are not included in the word limit. The master's thesis should not have a foreword and should generally not be submitted with appendices. Appendices may be submitted if necessary to describe the use of artificial intelligence or if the thesis is based on sources that are not publicly available. Such appendices should be excluded from the word limit. A thesis which is rejected as a result of exceeding the word limit must be reworked and submitted in a later semester. No additional individual supervision is provided for such reworking.
Submission of the Masther's thesis
The master's thesis shall be submitted electronically in Inspera. The submitted thesis must be anonymised, paginated, and the front page must state the title of the thesis, candidate number, and word count, including footnotes and endnotes.
The following submission deadlines apply for the thesis:
- Summer writing semester (early submission option): 1 August
- Autumn writing semester: 10 December